According to prosecutors, Kilpatrick allegedly headed a criminal enterprise that robbed taxpayers of millions and instilled a culture of corruption in one of the nation's poorest cities.

Among the charges in the indictment: Kilpatrick and members of his so-called criminal enterprise threatened witnesses with violence and withheld city funds from firms that wouldn't pay to play. Kilpatrick allegedly pocketed a $10,000 kickback in a restaurant bathroom, according to prosecutors.

The enterprise included his father Bernard Kilpatrick and contractor Bobby Ferguson, according to an indictment.

The group faces federal charges that include racketeering conspiracy, extortion, bribery, fraud and tax evasion.

Come home to your native red clay, good sir
If at first you don't succeed at getting re-elected, try again in a different district?

That's what the Georgia Republican Party has invited Florida Congressman Allen West to do, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, after he appears to have lost his bid for re-election in his Florida congressional district.

"I would be glad to have him come back to Georgia and at some point run here," Georgia GOP Chair Sue Everhart told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I would certainly try to help him because he has done his job. The way he ran his race didn't in any way interfere with the job he did. He ran as a Republican, a conservative Republican."

West is a native of Atlanta.

Everhart deemed him "one of the finest congressmen this country's ever had."

West's Democratic opponent, Patrick Murphy, has been declared the winner of the Congressional race in Florida's 18th District race. West, however, is demanding a full recount and has not conceded.

H/T Hotair 'Was Petraeus's affair with Broadwell an open secret?'
Broadwell's affair with Petraeus was likely known to Holly Petraeus, according to family friends. Hence a sinecure for Mrs Petraeus.
The FBI reportedly knew about it months beforehand and White House Counterterrorism adviser John Brennan reportedly was aware that there was a relationship as early as the summer of 2011.

The White House strongly denied that Brennan was aware so early.

"It is irresponsible and flat out wrong for Fox News to run an anonymous, unsubstantiated, and blatantly false accusation, as Mr. Brennan was first made aware of the issue last Wednesday," spokesman Tommy Vietor said.The Hotair article links to reports that basically say that Petraeus and Broadwell did not even try to hide their relationship in public, even when their respective spouses were present. That was around Memorial Day in 2010, long before Petraeus was appointed D/CIA. There's no way the FBI would not have found out during the background check. This is about something else.

#2
From Powerline:
"In the post immediately below, Scott recaps some of the recent developments in the Petraeus scandal. I want to add one or two more, and also elaborate a bit on one of the items that Scott mentioned.

The most significant of the recent bombshells, I think, is the report that Eric Holder knew about the scandal as of late summer, when the FBI contacted his office to get permission to interview Petraeus and Paula Braodwell. Holder apparently claims that he never mentioned this potentially election-derailing news to his boss and good buddy, Barack Obama. I find this claimthat, while many others in Washington knew of the Petraeus investigation, including Congressmen like Eric Kantor, Obama himself was blissfully ignorant until three days after the electionwholly implausible, just as I find implausible the claim that it was sheer coincidence that the scandal didnt become public until then."

#4
From wretchard:
What jumps out of the account is that Petraeus didnt see it coming. He didnt think it was a big deal. He had fixed the problem, talked to Broadwell. The other woman wasnt going to press charges. She was a family friend. There was no crime  if we leave aside adultery. It was family court business. Maybe not even that if no one was going to make an issue of it.

And then he gets called after election day, and boom he gets called to carpet. How do you like that? I for one, dont like it. Most workplaces you can tell if your being measured for a termination notice.

It strongly suggests is that Petraeus isnt a problem with something that has happened. Hes a problem with something that is going to happen. Theres some loop Petraeus is not part of. Something hes in the way of.

President Obama is considering asking Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) to serve as his next defense secretary, part of an extensive rearrangement of his national security team that will include a permanent replacement for former CIA director David H. Petraeus.

The only good news is that it gets Jauhn out of the Senate...

Although Kerry is thought to covet the job of secretary of state, senior administration officials familiar with the transition planning said that nomination will almost certainly go to Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

John O. Brennan, Obama's chief counterterrorism adviser, is a leading contender for the CIA job if he wants it, officials said. If Brennan goes ahead with his plan to leave government, Michael J. Morell, the agency's acting director, is the prohibitive favorite to take over permanently. Officials cautioned that the White House discussions are still in the early stages and that no decisions have been made.

Rice, one of an inner circle of aides who have been with Obama since his first presidential campaign in 2007, is under particular fire over the Benghazi incident. Some Republican lawmakers have suggested that she was part of what they suspect was an initial, election-related attempt to portray the attack as a peaceful demonstration that turned violent, rather than what the administration now acknowledges was an organized terrorist assault.

Rice's description, days after the attack, of a protest gone wrong indicated that she either intentionally misled the country or was ­incompetent, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday. Rice, he said, "would have an in­cred­ibly difficult time" winning Senate confirmation as secretary of state.

But several White House officials said Obama is prepared to dig in his heels over her nomination to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Tommy Vietor, spokesman for the National Security Council, said the White House would not comment on personnel matters.

Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter also has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, as has been Michele Flour­noy, former undersecretary for policy at the Pentagon.

The timing of a nomination for Panetta's successor is unclear. On Monday, he said he had no imminent plans to step down but indicated that he was unlikely to stay in the job for the duration of Obama's second term.

"Who the hell knows," Panetta said when asked by reporters traveling with him to Australia whether he would remain in office for four more years. "It's no secret that at some point I'd like to get back to California."

Kerry did not respond to requests for comment on his possible nomination at the Pentagon. A spokeswoman, Jodi Seth, said: "Senator Kerry's only focus right now is his job as senior senator from Massachusetts and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee."

But administration officials, one of whom described Kerry as a "war hero,"

But for the current crowd in the White House, that means honoring his testimony to the Senate after he got home, not his service while he was there...

said his qualifications for the defense job included not only his naval service in Vietnam

He served in Vietnam, you know...

but also his knowledge of the budget and experience in the diplomacy that has increasingly become a part of the defense portfolio. They said the Democrats' retention of the Senate majority, with a net gain of two seats, in last week's election provided a cushion that allowed them to consider Kerry's departure from the chamber.

White House national security adviser Thomas E. Donilon, principal deputy Denis R. McDonough and Benjamin Rhodes, deputy for strategic communications, are more likely than not to remain in place, at least initially, officials said.

Antony J. Blinken, Vice President Biden's national security adviser, is said to be under consideration for Rice's job at the United Nations, as is Samantha Power, the National Security Council's senior director for multilateral affairs and human rights.

It was unclear who would take Brennan's job if he leaves government or moves to the CIA. He was the top contender to lead the agency when Obama was first elected in 2008, but he withdrew under criticism, which he deemed unfair, of his role in intelligence excesses in the administration of George W. Bush. Although that challenge is now seen as behind him, officials said he has not indicated whether he would like to be considered again to head the agency where he spent 25 years.

Beyond complicating the overhaul of the national security team, Petraeus's departure will send ripples through management layers at the CIA.

Many had expected Petraeus to stay in place for Obama's second term, and he had spent recent months planning transitions at other key posts at CIA headquarters. Now, four of the agency's most critical positions -- director, deputy director, head of the National Clandestine Service and chief of the Counterterrorism Center -- have become question marks.

Michael G. Vickers, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, also has been mentioned as a candidate for CIA director.

If Morell ends up permanently in the job, he will need to designate a new deputy and would be in charge of other pending personnel decisions that Petraeus had been poised to make.

The head of the clandestine service, John Bennett, was talked out of retirement to take that job and has signaled his intent to step down in the coming months, current and former officials said.

The top position in the Counterterrorism Center, which carries out the CIA's drone campaign, is also expected to come open. The current director, known by his cover name, "Roger," has been in the job for more than six years. Former CIA officials said Roger has wanted to be named director of the clandestine service but has a reputation for harshness toward subordinates and had been expected to be passed over by Petraeus.

Morell was considered a standout analyst at the CIA before entering the agency's upper ranks and is highly respected among his colleagues and at the White House. Obama, a White House official said, "has enormous trust in [Morell's] ability to lead the CIA for as long as is necessary." He is also considered a possible candidate to replace Brennan at the White House.

#1
Iff VPOTUS Biden is indeed suffering from senior dementia, IMO the Bammer may replace him to create the first black VPOTUS [e.g. Colin Powell, Herman Cain?], iff not semi-black [all?] POTUS Admin, in US history???

Considering the amount of cricisms being levied agz his Admin, how long for the the nation's first black POTUS to be manifest, + the dmeographic rise of America's other minorities [Hispanic], this may be the only real opportunity for a black US POTUS + VPOTUS for a long long while.

#2
Time for the JCS and the rest of the general/flag officer community to quit cringing in fear of their political masters and collectively grow a fucking pair. The story is told that this guy was on his way to the White House to resign his position as Army CoS in protest over LBJ's mismanagement of the Vietnam war. He chickened out at the last minute...and regretted doing so until his dying day.

Even the MSM propaganda machine would be hard-pressed to take the entire JCS resigning in protest of this effete traitor becoming SecDef and spin it to benefit The One...

#4
All things in due time Joe, all things in due time. (next week possibley or the week after)

Timing is essential Joe! We have to hurry along with these appointments and historical changes before the DoD General officer trainwreck Benghazi noxious brown discharge hits electrically powered oscillator.

We will need a strong and dedicated DoD civilian leadership in place prior to the opening salvos of our cunningly designed social upheaval and civil takeover.

#5
I feel much safer and re-assured that our country would be in good hands. After all, JFK served in Vietnam you know (sarc). How are replacement Senators determined in Massachusetts; appointed or elected? (although it doesn't seem like it would make much difference)

#14
If the generals and admirals all resign Obama gets to pick the replacements. The first gay general, the first left handed eskimo Admiral. Lots of firsts. A couple of weeks of embarassment are a small price to pay for locking up the military that way. Yes we'd be a less effective fighting force but I suspect that is not a concern.

Jane Fonda as Secretary of the Army
Bill Ayers as Director of the FBI
John Corzine as Secretary of the Treasury
Tony Rezko as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Malik Shabazz as Attorney General

As of 3:40 p.m. ET, more than 25,000 Texans have already signed the petition on The White House website to let Texas peacefully secede from United States of America and "create its own NEW government."

The petition, created on Nov. 9, argues for secession, stating:

Texas among other states as of 4 p.m. Monday is leading with 31,975 signatures in support.

"The U.S. continues to suffer economic difficulties stemming from the federal government's neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending," reads the petition, which was created last Friday by 'Micah H', who lists Arlington, Texas, as his residence. "Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union, and to do so would protect it's citizens' standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government."

According to The White House, the petition must reach 25,000 signatures within 30 days in order to be considered.

"If a petition gets enough support, White House staff will review it, ensure it's sent to the appropriate policy experts, and issue an official response," explains the website.

Just last week, Rick Dunham explored differences between the U.S. and Texas that could lead to secession in his piece 'Will Texas secede from Barack Obama's America?'

And according to BuzzFeed's Zeke Miller, Texas is not the only state whose residents are petitioning for secession, but is leading with the highest number of petitioners. Check out his list here.

#6
Thought I read there was such a petition in Louisiana also. Obummble is not an Abraham Lincoln. Obummble also will never be impeached. The first black president being impeached? Won't happen no matter what. If that should happen, the inner cities would be aflame across the country. In Detroit's case that might be an improvement.

#14
If Texas succeeds there will be a flood of states which follow, even some blue ones I would imagine.

Texas has energy and coastline, and the immediate benefit would be the ability to control its own borders. I suggest they line up a few foreign nations to immediately recognize their sovereignty (China would almost certainly be willing).

#20
Secession ain't happening. Prior to 1865 it could have been argued, but it is settled law now.
But put your name on those petitions and increase the odds you'll be subject to extra scrutiny by all the alphabet agencies.

#23
Secession ain't happening. Prior to 1865 it could have been argued, but it is settled law now.

Yes, but a States Convention for dissolution is still Constitutional. Article V.

The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress;

#25
I can still see the red and productive states becoming more and more disillusioned with having to support the blue states and in 3-4 years enough of them saying "fuck it" and leaving, Civil War be damned.

#27
I can still see the red and productive states becoming more and more disillusioned with having to support the blue states and in 3-4 years enough of them saying "fuck it" and leaving, Civil War be damned.

The one advantage of the dissolution of the Union is that we'd end up with Canada's foreign policy instead of being the military welfare provider (aka globocop) to the world, at $700b a year and counting.

#32
Well, I still have a hard time seeing anything happening in the next two years. Too many dhimocrats are dependent on re-election in 2014. However, after that expect the full force of the communist state to slam down on the states since Obama and the dhims have nothing left to lose at that point.

[Philly] It's one thing for a Democratic presidential candidate to dominate a Democratic city like Philadelphia, but check out this head-spinning figure: In 59 voting divisions in the city, Willard Mitt Romney...former governor of Massachussetts, currently the Publican nominee for president. He is the son of the former governor of Michigan, George Romney, who himself ran for president after saving American Motors from failure, though not permanently. Romney has a record as a successful businessman, heading Bain Capital, and he rescued the 2002 Winter Olympics from the midst of bribery and mismanagement scandals. More to the point, he isn't President B.O... received not one vote. Zero. Zilch.

These are the kind of numbers that send Republicans into paroxysms of voter-fraud angst, but such results may not be so startling after all.

"We have always had these dense urban corridors that are extremely Democratic," complacently said Jonathan Rodden, a political science professor at Stanford University....contributed $595,716 to the 2008 Obama campaign. Is there a reason universities are among the top financiers of political campaigns? "It's kind of an urban fact, and you are looking at the extreme end of it in Philadelphia."

Most big cities are politically homogeneous, with 75 percent to 80 percent of voters identifying as Democrats.

Cities are not only bursting with Democrats: They are easier to organize than rural areas where people live far apart from one another, said Sasha Issenberg, author of The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns.

"One reason Democrats can maximize votes in Philadelphia is that it's very easy to knock on every door," Issenberg said.

Still, was there not one contrarian voter in those 59 divisions, where unofficial vote tallies have President B.O. outscoring Romney by a combined 19,605 to 0?

The unanimous support for Obama in these Philadelphia neighborhoods - clustered in almost exclusively black sections of West and North Philadelphia - fertilizes fears of fraud, despite little hard evidence.

Upon hearing the numbers, Steve Miskin, a front man for Republicans in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, brought up his party's voter-identification initiative - which was held off for this election - and said, "We believe we need to continue ensuring the integrity of the ballot.""Continue" implies some movement in that direction now.

#3
Not one swing state went for R&R and not one voter ID state went for OBumble and the crazy Uncle. Since a great number of these states used Diedold systems in the counting or voting process, can it not be suspected that electronic fraud or manipulation was at work as well as the traditional theft/fraud in the usual places. This stinks to high heaven......

#5
"Upon hearing the numbers, Steve Miskin, a front man for Republicans in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, brought up his party's voter-identification initiative"

I don't see how voter identification is going to help if they scored no votes in 59 divisions. It might help if you're claiming your percentage is too low, or the other guys got too many votes. But it doesn't help where you polled zero.

#9
rjs - maybe there were a few glitches, and they just happened to reverse the few Republican votes in those precincts. (I didn't type this - a monkey banging on my keyboard just randomly hit this sequence of characters.)

A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.